Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Study Receives $9.2 Million

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July 21, 2004

Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Study Receives $9.2 Million

CHICAGO— Northwestern University has received a four-year, $9.2 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study.

An additional $1.7 million has been awarded to fund the HAPO Data Coordinating Center.

Boyd E. Metzger, MD, Tom D. Spies Professor of Nutrition and Metabolism and professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, is the principal investigator on the HAPO study.

Alan R. Dyer, PhD, professor of preventive medicine, is director of the HAPO Data Coordinating Center.

The HAPO study is a multicenter, international epidemiologic investigation aiming to clarify possible association between various levels of glucose intolerance during the third trimester of pregnancy and risk of adverse outcomes, such as oversized, fat babies who are more likely to require Cesarean delivery or have more risk of birth injury and medical problems at birth.

“It is particularly urgent that an answer to this important public health problem be found soon because, as populations throughout the world are becoming more and more overweight, the incidence of all forms of metabolic abnormalities including gestational diabetes are also increasing dramatically,” Dr. Metzger said.

More than 25,000 pregnant women and their babies will be participating in this study that is being conducted at 15 sites in 10 countries.